Improvement in filters tor cisterns



` `-BMsicilianoentru, or VDANVILLE, ,KENTrio-Kv,

Letters Patent No. 103,206, dated. Mayv 17, li'O.

MPO-

i The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making' parteithe same I, PATRICK LnUGuLiN, of Danville, inthe county 'd of Boyle andState of Kentucky, .have invented cer l tain Improvement-sin theConstruction of Water-Filters for Cisterns, of which the following is aspecilication.` i

1".lhe first part of my invention relatesto thedei vices-whichI employfor `purifying water when flowing froma roof oranyfelevatedpositionydown into a cistern or other receptacle, by' using the weightof the y `column of water descending through the pipe, on its y way to`theoistern, `to force the water, after it has nearly reached the bottomof the vfilter, to rise upd against theV force of i gravitythrough aseries of beds lost purifiers, such Vas charcoal, sand, gravel, andbroken rock, and thus have these beds of purifiers to. act upon i the.water,` not. only `chemicallybut mechanically, 'inasmuch as they arrestand hold back a part of the im-l i purities by mere mechanicalaction.

'lhefseoondl part. of `myim-'ention relates to the easy l and eectualremoval oi'dsuch impurities as4 shall become lodged-iu and adhere inthelbeds of materials themselves, `by openingadischarge-pipe situated near,the bottom of thefiltelgand vconductinglr al stream 'of `water into thetop of the-filter, so that it may flow down through the beds ofpnrifiersand cleanse them. The third part of myvinvention relates to the use oftwo lsiphons'in thc body of the filter, in vsuch a manner as to actautomatically, and effect the discharge,

l of almostall the water left in `the `body ofthe water A at the timethewater fromabove ceases to ilow into it, so that it may not becomeblocked up with ice in freezing weather.

` The fourth part of my invention relates to the use l of`apeculiarly,constructed andarranged strainer in i the pipe, conductingthe water into the filter in such a manner as to eii'ectually ex'cludeleaves and other trash which might otherwise .aocompanythe water intothe body of thellteigand choke it up, and render it inoperative. l lInthedrawingsv-`` i l `Figure 1 representsv a side view of a cisternstanding properly upright with my improvements embodied, While s l s ,yu y Figure 2'Kisaverticalsectional view oi' the samel in the sameposition. l, y,

Ais Vthey pipe leading'the water from above down into the chamljerd.I

f 1n the lower part ofthe bodyH of the filter e is the dow off thatchambergandg g isv a porforatedplate sustainingthe purifiers C is thedischarge-pipe, through which is passed iugmtlescrewon that pipe, toclosed-besarme when fthe apparatus is `in `useg This pipe should be`inserted a little below the point atwhich the pipe A is inserted into.the body H, as shown-in the drawings. i

As-before intimated, the column of water in the` the strainer g g;thence up through a layer, D, of one of the aforesaid purifiers; thenceup through the `strainer f f thence through another layer, E; thencethrough a thickness of sponge; and thence through a straineigl; and thenit would fall into the -upper end'of the pipe lower enddischarging intothe cisteru.

d is the cover of the cistern, and i h is the" handle ofthe strainer T,by which it can be removed.

Thus far the parts described are substantially the same with the 'whole'of those described in my `patent cause of the fact that, when the waterceases to flow into the pipe'A from above,

and, vin the event of Va freeze in the night-time, or at block of ice.,and of course render the filter useless for a time. The two siphons'before mentioned prevent provedcan never freeze up.

ofa perforated plate or a piece of wirecloth in a glob-- ular or ovalform on the end which is, outside of the `pipe G considerably lower,aud` iu the inside of that pipe.

the drawingsf p s i l i The other Siphon, T, is formed as shown inv thedrawings, lthe shell of the body H, nearthe pipe C, to discharge outsidethe filter and cistern. Y

To operate them, the long cup M, with a small hole `in its bottom,suspended by the rod @from one end of the lever b, which has foritsfulcrum the standard S,

vided, as shown inl iig'. 2.

The rod is attached to the lever b by a hinge-joint, so as to'workfreely, and therod a is attached to the screw or otherwise, aweight, N,having apiece of cork of proper form fitted into its top.;V l,

Now, `when the water is flowing into the filter, and even until the4'Siphon U has dischargedl so much of the water in the body Yof thefilter that its surface falls below the lower end' of that Siphon U, theoupM is considerably heavier, hy reason of the quantity of pipe A, byits'weight, forces the water up through G, which is open atboth ends,the

of March 1, 1870.*` My filterl covered by that'pateut seems to hedefective when usedrin cold climates, bel the water in the body ofthetfilt-er remains even with the top of the pipe G,

any time, unless the cap c were removed andthe s, l .water allowedto runout, it would freeze into a solid such alcontingency, so that mycisterne as now im- The'siph'on U is provided with a strainer, madenp Aand near the strainer g, while the other hangs d 4The Siphon has theforum and is hung 'as shown in and is made fast when it passesfthroughYwhich is made fastto the side of the pipe G, is proother end ofthe leverb in a similar manner, and toy the lower endfof the rod a' is attached,by means of a l" the latter discharges an water mit, than the weight,and it therefore draws thatweight, with itssmooth, soft, 'cork top upagainstA the upper end of the siphon I, and thus eeetually closes it, sothat it `cannot act. But, so soon as the siphon U ceases/.todischargewater into the cup M, d empties itself through the hclej in itsbottom. That hole should be graduated Ain size, so as not to dischargefaster than the cup receives, while it does receive, but to empty itpretty soon after it ceases to receive'. Then, when the cup is relievedof its weight of water, the weightN becomes decidedly the heavier ofthetwo, and falls away from the mouth of the siphon T, and it at oncecommences to discharge the remaining unfiltered water outside thecistern, until so little remains that its freez. ing would do no injury.

When about to cleanse the layers of purifying rnaterials in the mannerbefore described, the cover d may be removed, and the top of the pipe Gclosed by any simple stopper, and a stream of water discharged upon thestrainer I.

The funnel-sha)` strainer N, before mentioned, is so formed that its'ver part slips down into-the upper end of the pipe A, whiletheperforated plate or sheet of wire-cloth'II, with a dip oiinclinationdownward on the side next the body H, is fastened in the body N, and, byreason of that dip of the sheet of wire-cloth, the left 'side of thefunnel extends'a little above that sheet at i, and is flaredoutwardly tofacilitate the throwing out such leaves and trash by the action of thefalling water as' may corne down through thepipe conducting it. The dipof the sheet of wireclothl is to co-operate in doing the saine thing;but if there was no rim on the side at y, the water itself might glanceoff without passing down through the wire-cloth K.

By reason of this construction of the strainer' for the throwing out ofthe leaves and trash, more or less water is also liable to be thrown ontand wasted, and, in order to limit' suclr waste and the splashing out ofthe water as much as practicable, I solder or 'otherwise fasten upon thetop of the funnel the extra rim "r, extending three-fourths orfourffifths around it, so

as to leave merel and trash. t

llhe'wide, llat ring Lstands, as shown in the drawings,'npon three legs,which are made fast on the inner side of the funnel. It may beconstructed with y room for the discharge of theleaves any suitableform, width, and diameter, so as to receive the pipe or pipesrdischarging water from one or more roofs at the same time.

This strainer will be found to be very useful, if not indispensable,where the buildings from the roof of whichwater is to be obtained andfiltered is surrounded with shade trees. But it may be detached and notusedat all where there is n o necessity for its use, and `its placesupplied by a plain joint o f pipe connecting with the pipe or pipesconducting the water from above.

scribed, iu combination with those improvements covered by my patent ofMarch l, 1870, will be found cheap and simple in its construction, andeasily repaired, when out of order, by unskilled mechanics, and thematerials of whichv the different parts are made may be tin, iron, orany others that are suitable.

I will add to this description that, as the siphou U cannot filter -thewater very thoroughly which passes through it intothe cup M, and thenceinto the cistern, its capacity should be as small as possible conisthat, after the water has ceased to dow-from A into the chamber B, itshall discharge the water left in the purifiers above the strainer g g,and keep the cup M full, until the water sinks below its! reach. Itsduty is then done for the occasion. Then, when the cup M emptiesitself', the weight N is allowed to fall away the dip in the floor e, isenabled to discharge nearly all of the unfiltered water left in thechamber B.

.Freedom of vertical motion is secured to the rod a by the tube O, whichacts as a sleeve for it, and extends from the perforated plate I down tothe plate What `I claim as new,.and desire to secure by Let- `tersPatent, is

1. The strainer,composed of the funnel N, the wirecloth sheet K,`-flaredrim y, the extra rim r, and the ring L, with its legs c c c, constructedand arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

2, The siphon- T, weight N, rod a', sleeve O, level' l) with its fulcrumS and rod a', cup M, in combination, when constructed and arrangedsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The siphon U, in combination with siphon T, weightN, rod af, sleeveO, lever b with its fulcrum S, rod a, and cup M.

4. The pipe A, water-chamber, 13 pipe C with its cap c, perforatedplates g g, f j, and 1, layers D hl F, and body H, in combination withsiphon U, siphon T, weight N, rod a', sleeve O, lever-,bavith itsfulcrum S, rod a, and cup M, when constructed and arranged substantiallyas and for the purposes described.`

` 'PATRICK LAUGHLIN.'

Witnesses:

- JOHN SHELLEY, W. R. ALFORD.

My filter, with the new improvements herein desistently withitseffecting the object designed, which from the mouth of the siphon T,which, by reason ofA

